EVIDENCE FOR DIETARY TIME SERIES IN LAYERS OF CETACEAN SKIN USING STABLE CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPE RATIOS

摘要

RATIONALEStable isotope analysis integrates diet information over a time period specific to the type of tissue sampled. For metabolically active skin of free-ranging cetaceans, cells are generated at the basal layer of the skin and migrate outward until they eventually slough off, suggesting potential for a dietary time series.